Author: Lauren @ ihadabiglunch

birthday weekend in the south pole

Warning: this post is full of not-so-healthy choices.

Fried foods? Check.

Sugary fish bowl drinks? Check.

Limited activity besides Just Dance and walking from bar to bar? Check.

But it’s all okay because it was my birthday weekend!

That’s right. I’m officially the big 2-3, the year of Michael Jordan, the “there isn’t a Taylor Swift song about it yet” age. It doesn’t feel much different. At the same time, however, I feel like 2014 is going to bring big things for me so I bet 23 is going to be a great year. 22 was all about transitioning: graduating college, moving back home, finding an internship, maintaining a job, and now moving on to a new opportunity in the city and living here part time. I’m now going to be interning at a new public relations company and I couldn’t be happier. I start tomorrow (thanks to the freezing temps that I’ll get to later) and I’ll be living with Zman 4 days a week at his apartment in the city. The other 3 days/nights I’ll be back in the suburbs working at the restaurant. It’s a bizarre schedule but I’m so excited to be back on the daily grind! I’m one of those weirdos who thrives on structure, schedules and planners, so I know this change is going to bring me nothing but happiness.

Back to the important stuff: the birthday!

I took the train to the city in the morning and met up Zman for a bday lunch. We decided that instead of getting entrees we would just have a day of “apps and zerts”.

Classic Parks and Rec.

We headed to Public House in the River North neighborhood downtown and picked four larger than life appetizers to enjoy.

The ones that made the cut were fried pickles, cheese curds, a homemade pretzel with cheese, and sea salt/parsley french fries. Good lawd. Halfway through the apps we were floating on cloud 9, but by the end I was googling wheelbarrow rentals to get me out of there. They were all so good! My only complaint is that I didn’t ask for a bottle of ketchup. The fries were served with a few delicious sauces (creamy parmesan, sweet bbq, etc.) but nothing compares to the classic fries and ketchup.

As most food lovers know, even when you’re stomach is full, you still have room in your “dessert stomach.” This was the case for me after lunch so we headed over to Glazed and Infused for one of my favorite treats: their vanilla bean glazed donut.

It looks pale in comparison to some of the other selections they have, but I always usually sample something a little more dangerous and then stick with my vanilla bean. It’s just too good!

We spent the rest of the afternoon at “The Wolf of Wall Street” which I LOVED. It was over 3 hours but well worth it. The rest of the night was spent drinking sugary concoctions, playing Just Dance, and bar hopping with friends. It was the perfect birthday.

I also can’t forget the incredible birthday cake that my mom made for my brother and me–flourless chocolate! It took her so much time and effort but it was insaaaanely good (especially with a hot cup of coffee).

Cake for breakfast is ALWAYS acceptable on your birthday.

The rest of the weekend was low key because a) Friday was just too much and b) temps have dipped down into (wait for it) THE NEGATIVES. Yep, that’s right, it’s -18 right now in Chicago, but with wind chills 40 BELOW. I heard this morning that it’s colder here than in the South Pole. Say what?

Since it was still my birthday weekend, we made the boys cook for us. Spencer used to work at Noodles and Company so he put his skills to use.

It turned out great! The only thing I’d change next time is to add spinach, but the grocery store was out of a lot of stuff (I’m not kidding when I say it’s a snowpocalypse here).

Here are a few other eats from the weekend before I sign out and snuggle under some blankets for a night of BCS football or The Bachelor (depending on which side of my brain wins the battle).

Scrambled eggs and Kodiak cakes

Shrimp diablo tacos from On the Border (they look better than they tasted but the rice, beans, and limitless chips and salsa more than made up for it)

Scrambled eggs with bell peppers, onions, and cheddar cheese. Veggie sausage on the side.

Cocoa Krispies make the best late-night snack

Vegan chili and a jalapeno corn muffin

I’ll be back tomorrow with a more fitness-inspired post. Those have been scarce lately because my workouts have been so monotonous, but I promise I’ll try to shake it up this week!

Questions:

Do you like celebrating your birthday?
If you could be eating anything in the world right now, what would you eat?
What’s the coldest weather you’ve ever experienced?

2014 Resolutions

I realize that 100+ blogs have been posting about their resolutions and going on tangents about whether or not they agree with them, so I guess I’ll just be #101.

I always make a resolution. I don’t take them incredibly seriously, but I always make one. I remember one specific resolution involved my best friend Kaitlin and I swearing off sugar when we were 15. In a quite impressive feat we made it until the first weekend in February when we practically dove headfirst into a piece of Mrs. Field’s cookie cake in the mall food court.

I’m not saying January 1st means you have to make a dramatic life change or that you can’t make an equally important change on August 13th, but there’s something refreshing about the whole world viewing one day as a “new start.” I find it motivating.

So here are just a few resolutions that have been floating around in my head. I’m not sure which ones will stick, but it doesn’t hurt to take a look at your life and reflect on what you want to modify.

Resolution #1: gossip less

I’m not saying that I do nothing but trash talk, but I have noticed that I do talk about people a lot. That includes things both good and bad, but sometimes I tend to make judgments about other people and their life choices. Catching up with old friends always brings about discussions of other people and what they’re up to, and I just have to remember that everyone is on their own life path and I don’t really know what their goals or situations are. I just want to be more aware of what I say and why I feel the need to talk about other people. It’s definitely something to work on. (Also, I feel very vulnerable writing this because this confession doesn’t make me sound like the best person. Vulnerability is good, though, and I’m willing to feel that way if it means I grow!).

Resolution #2: eat more meat

I’m not sure if you all have noticed, but I lovvvvve me some food. I eat copious amounts of fish, but other than that I’ve pretty much rid my life of meat. I used to be a chicken fiend but I think I got in my own head about that, and consequently I’ve stopped. Now that I’m spending more time in the city I’m realizing how much I’m missing. I’ll NEVER be able to cut into a juicy steak or eat a burger, but I should definitely be able to try new things like Italian sausage in a pasta dish or bacon on brussel sprouts. There are way too many beautiful culinary creations that use meat and their flavors, and I don’t want to miss out on them. First things first: get some chicken back into my life!

Maybe my meat-loving ways disappeared when I got rid of my bangs? 😉

Resolution #3: take better care of my body

From July on, I was working out 5-6 days a week with a lot of intensity. I especially took it up a notch when I started doing Crossfit-inspired workouts. While I LOVED that intensity, here I am, the beginning of January, and I’m faced with some pretty debilitating back pain. I’m restricted in my workouts, something that drives me up a wall. While I love spin classes and the stairmaster, I really miss tabata workouts and running. However, once I’ve nursed myself back to total health, I really need to remember to take better care of myself. No more Crossfit workouts 4 days in a row. Throw in some yoga at least once a week. Do core work to avoid future injuries. FOAM ROLL for the love of god (I’ll never learn). And most importantly, remember that silly things like trampoline-jumping are an important part of fitness as well. It’s not all about hours logged at the gym. Hopefully 2014 will be a year full of balanced workouts. I think my body will thank me.

I think these three resolutions are very doable for me, so I’m excited for the year ahead!

Questions:

Do you believe in “New Year’s Resolutions”?
What are your resolutions this year?

What I Ate…Weekend

I haven’t done a full post documenting eats lately, so I figured why not today? While they can get tedious and boring, sometimes there’s nothing I like more than looking at a post filled with nothing but pictures of food! And let’s face it, making healthy food choices is more than half the battle of healthy living bloggers. Making good food brings me energy, happiness, and really sparks my creativity.

I hope you all are busy planning some epic NYE plans! Zman, Megan and I are throwing a party at his apartment in the city so it should be fun. I’ll be sure to share all the recipes I end up using for the party. Have a great holiday!

Inhaling cashews while watching Arrested Development.

Ezekiel english muffin with crunchy pb, sliced banana, chia and flax seeds

Cheese quesedilla and an unpictured margarita
(This happened after locking my keys in the car in 10 degree weather. This cheesy goodness was warranted)

Whipped cream and strawberry…a sweet little Christmas gift from one of the cooks at the restaurant where I work

Blueberry, greek yogurt and pineapple juice smoothie (plus some chia seeds)

Chipotle burrito bowl with brown rice, black beans, fajita veggies, salsa, hot sauce, lettuce and GUAC!)

Sweet potato corn chowder

Breakfast on-the-go: oatmeal with banana, brown sugar, chia and flax seeds

Caramel brulee lattes. Megan and I went and there was a mistake so we got two for the price of one! I love it when that happens!

Egg sandwich with a veggie sausage patty, Parmesan cheese, and raspberry jam

So much deliciousness! Have a great NYE! I hope everyone makes thoughtful and motivating resolutions for 2014.

Celebrating Christmas

To say that the last week has been a whirlwind would be an understatement. As I’m sure it was for the rest of you, it was a week filled with friends coming home, family, and lots of food and drinks. I shared a few of my holiday recipes last week but besides those I was busy making reindeer cookies, saltine cracker toffee (my new favorite), gingerbread men, and a blue cheese and candied walnut salad for the holiday gatherings I attended.

I also had a lot of free time because my new job doesn’t start until the first week in January so aside from all the baking I filled my time with lots of spin classes, drinks with friends, and going to one of my old high school team’s basketball games.

Christmas day itself was more low-key than in years past, and it went by without a hitch. Aside from my chocolate-filled stocking, I got the Lululemon bag that I’d had my eye on so I can’t complain!

Even though my heart was in Texas (Zman went home to visit his family in Dallas) it was a beautiful day filled with wonderful family and great food!

We enjoyed an extensive list of treats: spinach-artichoke dip, cream cheese and cranberry roll-ups, mimosas (the best part about any holiday celebration), lobster bisque, salad (my no-fail recipe is mixed greens, blue cheese crumbles, craisins, candied walnuts, and a creamy balsamic vinaigrette), spanakopita, pork, cookies and “homemade” peppermint ice cream (vanilla ice cream softened and mixed with crushed candy canes and peppermint extract).

Somehow after some heavy sampling of all the food we had to offer, I made it to the gym about 9:30 that night. It was a ghost town!

I hung out on the ellipitcal while watching the Kardashian Kristmas special. Say what you want but it’s good entertainment.

So that was my day! Thankfully now that the holiday rush is over I can get back to blogging on the reg. Next up: planning our NYE party! I can’t believe it’s less than a week away! Pinterest, here I come.

Questions:

What was the best part of your holiday celebration?
What was the best thing you ate?

Coconut-Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches (recipe)

I finally dove into the Christmas cookie baking and came out with a really simple recipe that can be made any time of the year. I don’t think for something to qualify as a Christmas cookie it has to be shaped like a snowman or taste like gingerbread. Some of the best holiday parties I’ve been to have featured a variety of desserts, tables lined with creative cookie ideas that you might not have had a chance to showcase any other time of the year.

So if you’re looking for a cookie recipe that can be made year-round (but does feel double decadent while listening to Jingle Bells and drinking eggnog) give this a shot!

Coconut-Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 375.
Combine flour, sugar, coconut, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a standing mixer combine the melted butter, melted coconut oil, and vanilla. Mix for a few seconds until combined and smooth.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones in the mixer. Mix until just combined. If the dough is too dry, add 2 tbsp of milk.
Drop teaspoons of the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches in between each cookie.
Bake in oven for 8 minutes, or until the sides start to brown. The cookie will continue to cook on the pan even if it’s not in the oven. Wait a few minutes before removing the cookies onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.
Melt the 2 oz of semi sweet chocolate in the microwave, being careful to stir every 30 seconds so the chocolate doesn’t burn.
Spread the melted chocolate on the bottom of one of the cookies and place another cookie on top, creating a cookie sandwich.

Enjoy!

Question:

What’s your favorite kind of Christmas cookie? I love way too many to pick just one — but I do love pizelles (google it!)

Skinny Spanakopita (recipe)

If you want to really confuse people working at the grocery store, all you have to do is ask one question:

“Where are the wonton wrappers?”

I had the hilarious experience last night of being passed from employee to employee, all claiming to have an “idea” where they were but ending up confused and embarrassed enough to hand me off like a football to another coworker. It was like “Hey, here’s wonton wrapper girl, she’s your problem now.” (For the record they are often kept in the produce section near the tofu).

For something so tricky to find, wonton wrappers are a hidden gem of cooking.

It’s easy to assume wontons are only suitable for Asian tastes, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Wonton wrappers are simply the Chinese answer to ravioli–they are made of eggs, water, and flour, and have great nutritional stats. On average, 8 wraps have 155 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of fiber and sugar, and 4 grams of protein. All alone they have no taste, so it’s totally up to the chef to decide what to do with them. I remember my first time eating wonton wrappers casually–a friend in college had stuffed them with chicken, tomatoes, and spinach. It was a simple recipe that tasted amazing, kept well in the fridge, and didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

With my constant desire for comfort food during the winter months, I’m always looking for things to make me feel like I’m indulging but are actually on the healthy side. After a little searching and modifying, I made some skinny spanakopita.

Traditionally, spanakopita is a Greek dish made up of spinach, feta cheese, and onions, all layered between buttery pieces of phyllo dough. It’s basically Greek lasanga and it’s incredible (I suspect the butter has quite a bit to do with its popularity. People don’t often go ham over spinach-filled entrees unless they’re full of butter, sour cream, or cheese).

With this recipe you get the best of both worlds: cheesey, garlicky spinach stuffed into crunchy wonton wrappers just waiting to be dipped into a hot bowl of marinara. It’s perfect for a quick, easy meal during the week when you don’t have a lot of time but are sick of making more spaghetti or grilled cheese. Plus, it sneaks vegetables into your day in the most delicious way!

Skinny Spanakopita

recipe adapted from Slender Kitchen

Ingredients

1 package of wonton wrappers (usually contains 24 wrappers. This recipe won’t use all of them, so feel free to double the recipe to use up the rest of the wrappers)
10 oz bag of fresh spinach
1/2 cup feta cheese (I use full fat–more satisfying, less mystery ingredients)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 onion, chopped
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 egg white (to be used as an egg wash)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add the garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes.
Once the vegetable mixture is fragrant (you’ll really be able to smell the garlic), slowly add the bag of spinach and stir until the spinach has cooked and wilted.
Place your spinach and vegetable mixture in a medium-sized bowl and add the feta cheese. Stir until combined.
Lay out the wonton wrappers on two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. They should be laid out in squares
Fill a bowl with warm water and get your egg white into another bowl. Place both bowls by the cookie sheets.
Assemble the skinny spanakopita by scooping a tablespoon or so of the cheese/spinach mixture on the middle of the wontons.
Using the back end of a spoon or a pastry brush (if you have one), line the edges of the square wonton with warm water. Once the edges are all wet, fold the wonton in half diagonally so you are left with a triangle. Press all the edges down to close. The warm water should help seal the stuffing in. Repeat with all the wontons.
Brush each wonton (now a triangle filled with stuffing) with your egg wash.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until crispy.
Serve alone or with marinara sauce, and enjoy!

Question:

Have you ever tried spanakopita?
Have you ever used wonton wrappers in a recipe?

holiday treats and graduation eats

It was a busy weekend full of holiday spirit and family celebrations.

On Saturday Zman and I spent the day walking around the city, enjoying the falling snowflakes and musicians that lined Michigan Avenue with Christmas music. We also ate quite a bit of “comfort food”, aka cheese fries aka crap. But hey, they were delicious and it was just one of those days when you want hot cheese on top of fried potatoes.

All I want for Christmas is YOU:

You would think that two normal-sized human beings wouldn’t each need their own order of cheese fries but you would be wrong. The two of us don’t mess around with food.

After we got home we were chilled to the bone, so we popped in “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and made some hot chocolate.

Trader Joe’s Organic Hot Chocolate packets and Bailey’s topped with whipped cream and mini m&ms. Deeeeeeelicious.

The next day my family and I headed to Milwaukee to see my twin brother graduate from Marquette! Congrats, Steve!

Post-graduation brunch (like we need a real reason to go to brunch):

“Green eggs and ham”: Eggs scrambled with pesto and marscapone cheese plus ham and potatoes. I gave the ham to my dad and doubled up on the potatoes.

In case you suspect that I ate my body weight in butter, cheese, and oil this weekend, remember it’s always possible to balance all that artery-clogging goodness out. I did manage to eat lots of healthy food recently as well:

Summer salad: mixed greens, mandarin orange slices, tomatoes, dried cranberries, blue cheese, walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette. A piece of baguette on the side.

Overnight oats: 1/2 cup oatmeal with cinnamon, chia seeds, flax seeds, and peanut butter.

Veggie omelet: two egg omelet with green peppers, onions, and tomatoes, topped with avocado.

Caprese salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

Today I did what most people do on Mondays and started out the week with an intense workout. I don’t know about you, but Mondays are when I’m feeling most motivated and I give the best effort. I’m also the type of person who can’t make a resolution on September 7th or start a cleanse on a Thursday though. I’m just weird about coinciding big changes in my life to beginnings on the calendar (new year, new week, new month, etc.).

I did not, I repeat, did not RX this workout. I started out doing 50 of each but by the time I got to kettlebell swings I was toast. From there I did 25 of everything, replacing the burpees and wall balls with other activities because I’ve had a lot of back pain recently.

Speaking of back pain, today is my first time visiting a chiropractor! I’m pretty nervous but also really excited because I feel like that’s just what I need to get actual answers about what’s causing this back pain. Doctors can only do so much, it seems, and I’m sick of getting a muscle relaxer every time I complain about pain. We’ll see what happens!

Questions:

Have you seen a chiropractor? Do you “believe” in them, or think they just get you addicted (I’ve heard both ways)?
Can you start a new routine on any old day or do you need it to be a new week/month/year like I do?

let the baking begin!

Well there’s no more denying it: Christmas is almost here.

Two weeks from today we’ll all be congregating with family, eating honey ham and Pillsbury rolls and exchanging presents under the Christmas tree. The funny thing about me is that this is my favorite time of the year. Christmas day isn’t what does it for me. It’s these weeks leading up to the day that I love the most. It’s when I crave hot chocolate, sitting by a fireplace, and ice skating (getting me to voluntarily spend time outside during sub-zero temps won’t happen any other time of the year). I love shopping for friends and family, turning on Christmas carols, and most of all, baking! And since I’m in the process of changing jobs (more on that later), I have the next three weeks completely free during the day that will undoubtedly all be taken up with Christmas baking!

I already have my sights set on reindeer cookies, German chocolate cake, saltine cracker toffee, Nutella-filled chocolate cookies, and brownies with peppermint frosting. It’s gonna be a sugar-filled, chocolate-infused few weeks, and I love it.

I’m doing my best during the holidays to keep my meals at home normal, so today’s WIAW is nothing extravagant. I save that for my weekends in the city 🙂 I’ll tell ya, the minute I live in the city I’m going to spend all my money on food. It’s a problem.

I started out the day with some exercise: 30 minutes alternating speeds on the stairmaster followed by an upper body workout.

Pics or it didn’t happen right?

Luckily the only other guy in there was directly behind me so I could do this selfie stealthily (say THAT five times fast!)

Breakfast

Today’s breakfast was plain Greek yogurt with truvia and pomegranate seeds. I ate this directly after having a protein shake so needless to say I got my day started with a heavy dose of protein. I’m usually not a big fan of eating breakfasts without some form of bread or oats, but this meal had so much protein that it kept me full for hours and hours.

Protein shakes excite me. It’s basically chocolate milk with a kick.

I did a little grocery shopping later in the morning for some healthy items.

Kiddinggggg. It’s December 11th. Healthy treats aren’t on my brain. Please forgive the picture quality…the lady obviously didn’t understand that I have a blog to take pictures for.

Lunch

Lunch was one of my favorite things lately: butternut squash and carrot soup. It sounds kind of funky, but it tastes like cheese. If something can make vegetables taste like cheese, it’s got my vote. Thank you to my local grocery store for featuring this soup during these cold winter months! Sometimes soup is exactly what you want. I ate two pieces of bread with hummus on the side.

Dinner

When I got off work at the restaurant I scoured through our leftovers and came up with a chicken fajita. It’s my Mom’s recipe full of bell peppers, onions, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes. After I snapped a picture this was topped with copious amounts of guacamole to make it even better. Usually I have two fajitas but the protein-heavy day plus a few handfuls of popcorn while I was making it filled me up.

Finally, I can’t end this post without acknowledging a very special person: today is my Dad’s birthday!

Happy birthday to the most important man in my life. My biggest fan, the popcorn guy, my Dad. I love you so much!

Question:

What is your favorite sweet holiday treat to make this time of year?

Simple Stir Fry (recipe)

This time of year, we all start to look for comfort food. The days when I crave salads and smoothies lately are few and far between. The only downside to this is that most people don’t have the time, knowledge, or motivation to think up healthy ways to make comfort food. Most of the time, we automatically grab for the baked mac and cheese or the extra cheesy pasta to keep us warm while the snow falls outside.

Oftentimes the only thing you need to make a healthy, hearty recipe is a “star”, or something to center your dish around. It’s hard to see how a dish can come together without bread or cheese, two things that we often mindlessly add to a meal to make it “complete.”

Today I’m going to share with you a really simple recipe for stir fry. You can add whatever protein you like (lean beef, chicken, shrimp, egg, etc.) to bulk up this veggie-based dish and you’ll have a complete, hearty meal in no time. You probably have all the ingredients at home already. All you may need to go out and buy is the star of the show: sweet chili sauce! My roommate and I used to make this all the time in college (shoutout to Christina!) and it was eaten many a time watching E! News after classes throughout winter.

Veggie Stir Fry (+ protein of choice)

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 a yellow onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup steamed broccoli (just buy the steam and go bag from the grocery store)
Sweet chili sauce (Mae ploy brand is very common)
Red pepper flakes
Pre-cooked shrimp, chicken, beef, etc.

First wash and lay out your veggies on a cutting board. Cut up the peppers and onions into slices and mince the garlic.

Grab a sautee pan and sprinkle it with olive oil (about 2 tablespoons or so). Put heat on medium-low and add your minced garlic. “Low and slow is the best way to cook veggies so lean more towards low heat.”

Once you can smell the garlic cooking, add your pepper and onion mixture. Sautee the veggies for about 15 minutes, or until they’re cooked. The perfect cooked veggie still has crunch to it but is soft to the touch.

As the veggies are cooking, add your sweet chili sauce. It really doesn’t matter when you add the sauce since I always pour some on top of my finished veggies anyway, but I think it’s nice to cook the veggies with the sauce too to give them a deeper flavor. Whenever you choose to add your sweet chili sauce, also put in a few shakes of red pepper flakes. I always add a lot because I love heat in dishes, but add it carefully (start with two shakes). You can always add more later.

When your veggies seem about done add your pre-cooked protein. I chose shrimp because I’m a major seafood lover and always have frozen shrimp on hand.

Give it a final stir, remove from the heat, and it’s all ready to serve! Make sure to top off your bowl of stir fry with a little more sweet chili sauce…it’s so delicious and the flavor isn’t terribly strong in the veggies after they’re cooked.

This easy, low-calorie dish takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and fulfills any craving for comfort food in the dead of winter.

Serve over brown rice and enjoy!

Question

What’s your favorite comfort food when it gets cold outside?

diving right back in

it’s hard to gracefully just waltz right back into blogging when you’ve been away for a week or two. long story short i had nothing to say for the past two weeks. thanks to a mystery illness my workouts were light and my food was boring. In other words it has not been a picnic for the fitness fanatic inside of me. Luckily today I was able to jump right back into my old routine so fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong and I’m back to normal!

My first workout back at bootcamp was fun, but I pretty much sucked, as to be expected. Two weeks of the stairmaster and elliptical don’t prepare you for box jumps and pull ups, my friends. But I survived and I know that the worst of it is over–the hardest thing to do is start back up again, especially when it took twice as long to get out the door thanks to the snow and cold.

We did two 12 minute AMRAPS (as many rounds/reps as possible), for a total of 24 minutes (plus warmup).

It’s going to be a lonnnnng time before my squats look good again. No bueno. Luckily my long legs made me look like I knew what I was doing on the box jumps, so there’s a plus.

Other than doctors appointments trying to pinpoint what’s been up with my body, it’s been a busy few weeks full of holiday parties, birthdays, and the occasional out-of-this-world meal.

Who knew that one of my favorite bars in Chicago, Public House, had an AMAZING food menu as well?! I’ll have to do a full restaurant review of the place soon. They are the only casual bar that offers mussels (I didn’t even know that was a thing!) They have three choices but I went with the Misto mussels bowl: it came overflowing with calamari, roasted garlic, red finger chilies, tomato caponata, fresh basil, and, of course, mussels. It was served with hot buttered sourdough bread, to get every last bit of the incredible sauce.

I don’t remember the last time I fell head over heels in love with a meal like I did with this one. Please excuse the poor picture quality and just know from the bottom of my heart that mussels, while they might look scary, can be oh so delicious. Side note: Zman doesn’t understand how I find red meat gross but I have no problem with mussels, shrimp, or escargot. To be honest I can’t explain it either, but thank god I’m not queasy about seafood because I’d miss out on so much deliciousness.

Over the past weekend we celebrated the holidays at the Planetarium downtown and had a blast with friends, an open bar, and free deep dish pizza.

It was good to have a fancy holiday party to go to finally! The past few college years included plenty of ugly Christmas sweater parties and spiked apple cider but nothing like this. The view of the city from the Planetarium was breathtaking, and although we skipped it, Zman and I heard that they put on a free show in their cinema for all the employees and it was awesome. Space ain’t our thang, so we hung back and danced.

We also celebrated Zman’s birthday recently! We went to dinner at a fancy Brazilian steakhouse with servers walking around with endless skewers of meat–aka Zman’s dream.

That chocolate chip cookie skillet was perfect. It was so dark inside the restaurant and the plates were so small (seeing as they were endless), so I skipped the pictures. We dined for two hours on an assortment of meats, cheeses, appetizers, soups, breads, and meat. I stuck with mostly seafood and a little chicken while Zman was all over the ranch-marinated beef and even tried venison. It was an adventurous night and, while I don’t see us going back any time soon ($$$), it was the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion.

A few other recent eats:

Things should go back to normal now, so expect some recipes and restaurant reviews soon. I hope you’re all having a fun holiday season–it’s going by crazy fast!

i had a big lunch

Because dreaming about food and fitness was no longer enough

Author: Lauren @ ihadabiglunch

birthday weekend in the south pole

2014 Resolutions

What I Ate…Weekend

Celebrating Christmas

Skinny Spanakopita (recipe)

holiday treats and graduation eats

let the baking begin!

Simple Stir Fry (recipe)

diving right back in